[book promo][author interview] Nic Weissman - The Orb of Wrath [free ebook]

август 21, 2015

Hello there again!
I was thinking, let's start this Friday in a grand way :) How about not only your usual promo, but a fun interview with the author, who is also giving his book for free at the moment? Let's go!

Title: The Orb of Wrath
Publ. Date: July 2015
Author: Nic Weissman
Genre: Fantasy/New Adult

Synopsis: The Orb of Wrath combines fantasy, intrigue and adventure, while transports the reader into a world where almost nothing is what it seems. Plots, counterplots, mysteries, blossoming relationships, disappointments, betrayals, dangers and successes, are combined in this fun cocktail. Erion is a skilled looter who runs the kingdom of Bor with his "brother" Mithir, performing dangerous commissions for wealthy clients. Mithir helps with his long trained magical abilities. One day, when they are doing one of their assignments, they encounter another group of adventurers, with whom they are forced to cooperate.
The plot runs in the World of Oris which consists of 12 kingdoms and includes elves clans, dangerous monsters, dwarf kings, rich desert emirs, strange beasts, hospital halflings, ferocious orcs, ingenious gnomes, powerful wizards, brave knights, merchants, terrible vampires, etc. Recommended for the permanent library of all fantasy readers.
Do you dare to accompany Erion and his friends in their adventures?

Well, I don't know for you, but this blurb got me at hospital halflings. I have no clear idea of what they would be, but I am imagining a set of tiny docs and nurses telling the orcs to guard the bed for few more days. But let's see now what the author has to say about himself and his work.

-So.. Who are you? Tell us a bit about yourself.

I consider myself a citizen of the world. I´ve been several years now in USA but I have traveled to many places. Over the past 16 years, I have lived in 14 different addresses across 3 different continents. I have traveled to 30 countries and I speak 4 languages.

-Wow, that's so cool! I'd love to ask whether you went any near my country... but that will force the conversation to a whole new direction. So better, tell us about your latest project.

It is a fantasy novel, sword and sorcery type: The Orb of Wrath. It is my debut novel and I made it free. I had written non-fiction before under a different name, which gave me a sense of what self-publishing process is. I wrote a large and detailed world/campaign setting many years ago and I decided to try to get some characters alive in that environment to be able to share it with the world.

-Sounds good! But... when you finished the first version, was it any good back then? Just curious.

I started end of last year and had my first draft completed about four or five months later. I wanted to write with a light and uncomplicated style, easy to read, something fresh. So, I didn’t make a hell of a lot of changes after the first draft. I changed the structure a bit, moving pieces of the story back and forth, polishing the language and also corrected a few flaws in the storyline. And then, I just published it. So far readers are giving great reviews, so I want to think that the first draft version already had some merits.

-Wow, I guess you worked really hard on that first draft! It's so cool that the book is getting positive feedback. What are the thoughest critic and best compliment so far?

About the compliments I like that readers see the work as very entertaining. I also loved that they have appreciated the characters depth and the hidden plots that reveal themselves (partially) through the book. On the opposite area, I got a comment about a number of typos in the book. I realized then that I had made a beginners mistake by reviewing the book only by myself. You will always miss something. So, I got a professional editor to proofread the book and get those things fixed in my latest (third) edition, which is now available in all channels.

-Yikes! I'm no grammar nazi, but I am glad to hear the typos are all cleared now. They indeed may distract from the plot and characters at hand. Speaking about the them, is anything in your book based on real life experience, or it is all pure imagination?

Somebody said that every character is an autobiographic display of the writer, as it reflects certain elements of his/her psyche. Till certain extent I agree with this; hence, even if I didn’t try, I am sure my life experiences have influenced the book. That said, as this is epic fantasy, it is mostly an imagination exercise.

-So you didn't meet any elves in your journeys around the world... well this is rather a pity. What can we all readers do to help promote the book, to make it up for the sad lack of anything magical in the world?

Right now my number one target is to get more reviews, especially in Amazon. And this is all about readers! So, either if you liked the book or not, please get to Amazon (or any other relevant channel) and drop a couple of sentences of what you think about the story.

-And on Goodreads, if I may say, people, get your reviews there. I at least choose my readings based on GR ratings and reviews more than anything. And meanwhile, while watching the reviews of the Orb of Wrath pile up, are you working on something?

Name will be (most likely) The White Lady and will be a sequel of The Orb of Wrath. Working hard on it.

-And to wrap things up, what would you say and what advice you may give on the topic of indipendent publishing? I know some of my readers are interested in it.

This self-publishing thing is a new paradigm; a miracle, even. Any aspiring writer today can (for sure) become a published writer. If you are passionate about writing, just go for it. But you need to know that writing a great book is only half of the work; marketing it is a full time job by itself. So, spend some time beforehand on how you will tackle that piece of the challenge.

-Thank you so much for this conversation! I am pretty sure we got the readers going about the book, so now I think it's goodies time!